Many recreational vehicles include onboard storage tanks for accumulating and temporarily storing sewage and waste known as black water. Once the storage tanks are full, the sewage and waste accumulated in the storage tanks must be transferred to a waste disposal facility, such as a sewage dump station. For this purpose, a recreational vehicle with an onboard black water storage tank is equipped with an outlet valve. One end of a flexible and extendable waste disposal hose is connected to the outlet valve, and an opposite end of the hose is connected to a waste disposal facility. When the outlet valve is opened, gravity causes the accumulated black water in the storage tank to flow through the outlet valve, through the hose, and into the waste disposal facility.
In order to connect the waste disposal hose to the outlet valve of a recreational vehicle, the inlet end of a typical waste disposal hose often includes a so-called “bayonet” coupling. The bayonet coupling engages a cylindrical pipe on the outlet valve, which includes a plurality of spaced knobs or buttons which outwardly extend from the outer diameter of the pipe. The bayonet coupling typically includes a plurality of circumferentially extending and tapered blades which define a plurality of circumferentially extending slots. When the buttons on the pipe are received in the slots and the bayonet coupling is rotated, the tapered blades cooperate with the buttons and cause the bayonet coupling to be pressed against the end of the pipe. A resilient gasket is compressed between the end of the outlet valve and the bayonet coupling, and substantially prevents waste and odorous gasses from escaping. The exit end of a typical black water disposal hose may include an elbow or other fitting for insertion into or connection to an inlet of a waste disposal facility.
Though known waste disposal hoses and couplings are generally satisfactory for transferring waste from a recreational vehicle black water storage tank to a dump station, they can be improved. Known waste disposal hoses typically include a length of flexible corrugated pipe or tubing that can be bent, extended, and contracted to adapt to various relative positions of an outlet valve and a dump station inlet. The fittings and couplings provided on such hoses typically are non-movably attached to the ends of the hose. Because the fittings and couplings cannot rotate or swivel relative to the hose or other waste disposal component to which they are connected, manipulation of the couplings and fittings is hindered when the couplings and fittings are being connected to an outlet valve or another waste system component. In addition, manipulation of the couplings and fittings can cause the non-movably attached hose to take on a shape which may hinder the flow of waste through the hose. More specifically, it is known that when a corrugated hose is extended, the spirally-formed corrugations tend to cause the hose to rotate and distort.
Accordingly, there is a need for waste disposal connectors and fittings that permit relative swiveling rotation between the waste disposal components which they connect. In addition, there is a need for a system and method for quickly and easily securing such swiveling connectors and swiveling fittings to a waste disposal hose.